Diver dies in tragic Straits mishap

Tuesday

Aug 12, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Tribune staff

A 64-year-old man from Mankato, Minn., lost his life while scuba diving on the sunken vessel Cedarville in the Straits of Mackinac Saturday.Cheboygan County Sheriff Dale Clarmont reported that a emergency call was received around 1:34 p.m. that an unresponsive male had been brought ashore in Mackinaw City. Javens had been on a private boat with friends who were diving on the sunken vessel in 150 feet of water east of the Mackinaw Bridge. According to a news release from the sheriff's department, Javens ran out of air and was unable to surface. “He was with a partner and the buddy system was used, but at some point Mr. Javens became unresponsive and his partner was unable to get him to the surface,” said Clarmont, who explained that the buddy system is the sharing of a regulator. Javens diving partner ascended and a call was placed for assistance. The Cheboygan County Marine Division responded along with the U.S. Coast Guard, the dive vessel Bluewater and the vessel SeaWay, which is the Mackinaw Bridge painting crew. “From the investigation it appears Mr. Javens was under the water for about 20 minutes,” said Clarmont. Certified equipment specialist inspected the gear worn by Javens and concluded he had a main tank and a reserve tank and made the dive using his reserve tank. “All equipment was inspected and found to be in working order and the main tank was still full. It appears from the investigation that Mr. Javens started on his reserve tank and when it ran out of air, thinking it was his main tank, attempted to go to his reserve which was empty,” said Clarmont. On the vessel Bluewater, The Northern Michigan Dive Center out of Cheboygan was conducting a separate dive on the Cedarville at the time, and a crew member was able to dive and retrieve Javens. He was brought to the surface and rushed to shore by the SeaWay where emergency personnel attempted to revive him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.An autopsy was scheduled Monday morning at Spectrum Hospital in Grand Rapids. The family has been notified and the investigation is ongoing. “Unfortunately this was a preventable tragedy and a very sad day,” said Clarmont. Clarmont also commended the efforts of those involved in attempting to save Javens.